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Unemployment down in the East

Call for more vocational skills as jobless total rises

Unemployment figures show that the number of jobless in the East of England is rising - bucking the national downward trend. The latest figures for our region show 207,000 people out of work between September and November, a rise of 1,000 on the previous quarter.

But compared the same period last year, unemployment in the East is down by 12,000.

On the day the government announces changes to make A-levels more academic, education leaders in our region are saying more needs to be done to promote vocational training.

They say students are being steered towards gaining academic qualifications, and argue that vocational skills are just as valuable to the economy